A blog launched on the 41st anniversary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), the first pro-life organisation in the world, established on 11 January 1967. SPUC has been a leader in the educational and political battle against abortion, human embryo experimentation and euthanasia since then. I write this blog in my role as SPUC's chief executive, commenting on pro-life news, reflecting on pro-life issues and promoting SPUC's work.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011

Alison Davis, leader of No Less Human (NLH), a group within SPUC, has responded to the survey commissioned by Scope which found that a majority of disabled people were "concerned about a change in the law to legalise asssisted suicide."

Alison told the media earlier today:

"This survey is particularly welcome because it disproves the constant claim by the misnamed 'Dignity In Dying'* lobby that most disabled people support assisted suicide. Scope, by contrast, is an independent organisation with no affiliation to either side of the argument. *(Formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society.)

"Dignity In Dying's spurious distinction between 'assisted suicide' and 'assisted dying' does not hold. Both aim to cause the death of a sick or disabled person, because their life is considered, by themselves or others, to be not worth living. Such people need support to live, not encouragement to believe that their suicidal thoughts are rational and right.

"My personal experience proves this to be true. Some years ago, when I was in great pain, and was simultaneously experiencing other forms of suffering, I made up my mind that I wanted to die - a settled wish that lasted more than 10 years. Had assisted suicide/dying as proposed by Dignity in Dying been available then, I would have qualified for it, and would have chosen it.

"My doctors believed my remaining life would be very short, and my pain was intractable. Now, so many years later, my pain is, if anything, even worse. What has changed is my outlook on life, helped by friends who refused to accept my view that my life had no value or meaning.

"Had my request for assisted death been accepted then, I would have missed the best years of my life - and no one would ever have known that the doctors were entirely wrong in thinking I had little time left to live.

"Members of No Less Human join their voices to the 77% of disabled people (18-24 years) surveyed who believe that legalising assisted suicide/death would result in pressure on other disabled people to end their lives prematurely. Moreover we recognise that disabled people are particularly in danger of having our lives deemed not worth living, whatever our views on the subject.

"Suicidal disabled people deserve the same care, support and presumption in favour of life as able-bodied people who feel suicidal. If this does not happen, it only confirms the view of many of us that society regards us as dispensible, and of little or no value to society."

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John Smeaton

About me

I became involved in SPUC after graduating, when I established a branch in south London in 1974. I have worked full-time for SPUC for 33 years. I became director of SPUC in the UK in 1996, having been general secretary since 1978. I was elected vice-president of International Right to Life Federation in 2005. At UN conferences in Cairo, Copenhagen, Beijing, Istanbul and Rome, I helped coordinate more than 150 pro-life/pro-family groups resulting in pro-life victories in Cairo, Istanbul and Rome. I was educated at Salesian College, London, before going to Oxford where I graduated in English Language and Literature. I qualified as a teacher, becoming head of English at a secondary school. I am married to Josephine. We have a grown-up family and we live in north London.

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